Publications

Unexpected high forest turtle diversity in hill forests in northern Vietnam : we investigated the turtle fauna and their distribution in hilly forests in northern Vietnam during two consecutive periods. We used a combination of (1) field surveys; (2) hunter interviews; (3) examination of hunter quarry, and (4) monitoring of hunting activity. We performed field surveys in bamboo and hilly secondary forests (500–1350 m), applied 103 hunter interviews, and examined the same number of hunter bags. We found a total of 124 different individuals of as many as 9 turtle species. We suggest that field surveys should be conducted as soon as possible to confirm whether these turtles are as seriously threatened as presently considered by the IUCN. Par Pham Van Thong, Olivier Le Duc, Benjamin Leprince, Cedric Bodres, Tomas Zuklin, Charlotte Ducotterd, Quang Lu Vinh, Lo Van Oanh, Nguyen Tam Anh, John E. Fa, Luca Luiselli

A new locality of presence for the world’s rarest turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) gives new hope for its survival : the present study brings exciting new discoveries in Vietnam about the historical presence of R. swinhoei in Vietnam as well as the potential new locality of presence in the wild. We hope these research results will help to accelerate scientific endeavors in order to save Rafetus from extinction. Par Olivier Le Duc, Thong Van Pham, Tomas Zuklin, Cédric Bordes, Benjamin Leprincea, Charlotte Ducotterda, Vinh Luu Quang, Luca Luiselli

Ecological characteristics of a recently described, critically endangered gecko species, endemic to Central Highland, Vietnam : in this paper, we provide the first-of-ever natural history data on this highly threatened gecko species, with emphasis on morphometrics, habitat preferences, thermal ecology, and activity patterns. Par Vinh Quang Luu, Oanh Lo Van, Tuoi Thi Hoang, Thong Pham Van, Olivier Le Duc, Cedric Bordes, Benjamin Leprince, Giovanni Amori et Luca Luiselli